The Biden administration has distributed over $2 billion in direct payments to Black and other minority farmers who faced discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as announced by the president.
More than 23,000 farmers were approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000, according to the USDA. An additional 20,000 individuals who intended to start a farm but did not receive a USDA loan were given between $3,500 and $6,000.
The majority of payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the aid “is not a form of compensation for any losses or hardships endured, but rather an acknowledgment by the department.”
The USDA has a history of denying loans to Black farmers, granting smaller loans compared to white farmers, and initiating foreclosures at a faster rate in certain cases.
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National Black Farmers Association Founder and President John Boyd Jr. expressed that while the aid is beneficial, it falls short. “It’s like putting a bandage on someone in need of open-heart surgery,” Boyd remarked.
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